10 takeaways as Mexico and Portugal advance to the Confederations Cup semifinals

Mexico and Portugal were the favorites to advance out of Group A at the Confederations Cup, and they both delivered. Neither team could clinch a spot in the semifinals after two matchdays, leaving them in need of results on Saturday, but they both got the job done.

For Mexico, it was a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Russia. Meanwhile, Portugal cruised to a 4-0 win. That puts Portugal on top of Group A and Mexico in second, both through and 180 minutes from winning the tournament.

What did we take away from their matches on Saturday?

1

Congratulations to Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo scored his 75th international goal when he buried the penalty that put Portugal in front of New Zealand early on. And while the round number is nice, it's more notable for putting him second on the list of all-time international goals by a European.

2

Let Andre Silva cook

It looks like Silva might be Portugal's first-choice, every-match striker now, and he should be. The goal he scored against New Zealand won't blow anyone away, but that's because he made it look so easy -- running past one defender, shoving off another and finishing strong. It was the prototypical striker's goal.

Portugal are moving to be more attacking, and Silva helps with that. Cristiano Ronaldo will presumably show his age at some point, too, and need some help. Silva helps with that. He may only be 21, but Silva is for real. Run him out there every match.

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3

Ho hum for Portugal

Portugal played well against Mexico in their opener and walked away with a solid draw. Then they dispatched Russia and New Zealand to top Group A.

At no point did Portugal look unbeatable -- they simply looked like a team confident and capable of doing what was asked of them. It was as clinical as could be. They almost made it look easy to get the results they needed.

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4

Russia have reason for hope, and reason for worry

Russia did not make it out of the group stage of a tournament they hosted. That stings and there will rightfully be some questions about how good they are. The way they struggled to defend against Portugal and Mexico for stretches, not to mention some of the bizarre errors they made (Igor Akinfeev, anyone?) will rightfully raise doubts about their ability to compete at next year's World Cup.

That said, Russia finished behind Portugal and Mexico -- two very good teams. There's no shame in that and, host or not, nobody really expected them to be better than those teams. They also gave both of those sides decently tough tests, especially with an attack that showed itself capable of generating chances. Toss in the absence of Alan Dzagoev, who could have made their attack even better, and there's reason to think that Russia have a chance to at least avoid the shame of going out in the group stage at the World Cup.

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5

New Zealand have a lot of work to do

It's tough to be New Zealand. They're rarely challenged in Oceania and don't get to play many competitive matches against decent teams.

Well, they got those competitive matches against decent teams at the Confederations Cup and were found wanting. They weren't terrible, but they were outclassed in every match.

Now New Zealand turn their attention to World Cup qualifying, where they will win Oceania. But that's only good enough to get them to a playoff against a South American team for a place in Russia next year. The way they played in the Confederations Cup isn't good enough to win them that playoff. They need to get better.

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6

Hirving Lozano is one brave man

Forget the speed to get to the ball or the skill to knock it into the net -- what was amazing about Lozano's goal was his willingness to commit to getting it even as Igor Akinfeev came flying out to clear it. A wise person would have backed off, not wanting to get cleaned out by the goalkeeper, but Lozano didn't care. He just wanted the ball and a goal, and he got it (as well as a swift kick to the chest).

Reminder: The sport generally allows defenders (or in this case a goalkeeper) to do whatever they want to a player after he shoots. Foul him, clean him out, kick him, whatever. It's something the sport should have addressed long ago.

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7

Mexico still have problems in transition

When Mexico have their shape, they're a good team, both with and without the ball. They can be dynamic with the ball, interchanging and moving all over the place, but still remaining disciplined enough to provide a threat all over the field. They also defend well, taking away space and making it difficult to break them down.

The problem for Mexico is what happens in between. When teams get the ball in transition, Mexico really struggle to quickly reset. Their back line becomes a mess, just ball watching and going with the man closest to them. Their midfield has gaping holes. There is no consistent pressure.

Russia were able to create chances almost entirely due to Mexico's issues in transition. It's where Mexico struggled against New Zealand and Portugal, too. They know how to attack, they know how to defend, but they struggle going from one to the other.

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8

Mexico need to keep riding Hector Herrera and Jonathan dos Santos

Herrera and dos Santos weren't at their best against Russia and the midfield didn't completely dominate, but it was still obvious that those two make up Mexico's best central midfield pairing. Over the last month we have seen them shine, playing some of their best-ever soccer in an El Tri shirt, and against Russia they were the better midfield despite not being at their best.

For some reason, Juan Carlos Osorio sent Mexico out without any central midfielders against New Zealand. They should never do that again, and they should make sure Herrera and dos Santos are those midfielders in every big match.

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9

Let's see what Juan Carlos Osorio has up his sleeve

Osorio was criticized by some for his heavy rotation against New Zealand, which nearly cost Mexico the win. But Osorio said that he intended to rest players for that match from the start and he did get the win.

Now Osorio has to go into a knockout stage match that he wasn't sure his team would be in and do it on short rest, but without the luxury of playing a team like the Kiwis. He'll be going up against a powerhouse and need his best team available. He'll also have less time to prepare for the team because he won't know the opponent until Sunday -- putting a wrench in his manic preparation and opponent-specific tactics. We're going to get a look at what Osorio, an eccentric but effective manager, does in this type of tournament.

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10

Suspensions

Andres Guardado picked up a silly yellow card in the first half for Mexico, and because it is his second of the tournament he will be suspended for the semifinal. Portugal's Pepe was also carded (surprise!) and he, too, will be suspended for the semifinals.